The Morning Line: New York, Day 2

By: Slade Long
January 16, 2016

Morning Line – NYC Round 2:

The riders got 21 bulls covered last night in Round 1, so quite a few guys have a chance to go 2-for-2 here.

Brady Sims on 013 Mr. U:

Mr. U got the best of Valdiron de Oliveira last night, and he’s only been ridden three times in 16 career outs, but Sims should get along with him pretty well. J.B. Mauney was 89.5 points on him in Allentown, Pennsylvania, last fall, and he was a lefty’s dream bull there. He has enough speed to make riders have to work for it, and he has a lot of action, but he keeps to a pretty even rhythm. He’s a bull that looks showy and impressive, but is easier to ride than he looks. He can be good enough to win a round on, and Sims could use a big score here.

Gage Gay on 700 Fire Bender:

This is the bull J.W. Harris rode last night to split the round win. Gay has been on him twice and has bucked off each time, but he has gotten up to or past the 5-second mark, so he has a good feel for what he will be up against. This bull fits everyone about the same and he’s not easy for anyone. He’s a bull that riders really have to hustle to get by, but he is rideable.

Cody Heffernan on 029 Back Jackin’

This is a rematch from just last week. Heffernan rode this bull for 85.25 points to place fifth in the opening round in Chicago, and he looked very sharp doing it. Kaique Pacheco rode him the next night as well.

Ryan Dirteater on 126X Percy:

Percy has a short history — just five outs on record. He has given up three rides in those five outs, including last week to Tanner Byrne. He will probably go to the right, but Dirteater is solid on bulls that go away from his hand, and this one should not be a problem for him.

Shane Proctor on 249 Jaybird:

Proctor turned in one of the lower scores last night, but he will almost certainly improve on that here. We’ve only seen this bull once. Douglas Duncan rode him for 85.5 points in Chicago. If he has a similar trip tonight, Proctor will handle him easily. Of all the riders here, Proctor may have the best approach to the mental game. He doesn’t take things too seriously, he deals with failure and success equally well, and it shows in his consistency. He’ll get along well with this bull.

Silvano Alves on 706 Percolator:

It remains to be seen whether Alves will even be able to compete today after his wreck last night, but this is clearly a big time matchup if it happens. Percolator is in the long round here because he’s been on Cody Lambert’s naughty list for not doing his best in the recent past. He could be far better than the other bulls in this round, and he’s very rider-friendly for bulls at his performance level. If Alves can go, and Percolator has a great day here, he’ll be back in a short round next time we see him. If he has an average day, he may get a pass because quite a few bulls have average days with Alves.

J.W. Harris on Y33 Mishap:

There’s just one out on record for this bull, but it resulted in an 85-point score for Mike Lee in Cincinnati, Ohio, last month. Harris had a great night last night, and when he’s at his best he can ride any bull here. He should get another score here.

Robson Palermo on 152 Travelling Jones:

This is a good draw for Palermo. Jones hasn’t been to a Built Ford Tough Series event before — he’s making his debut here. Through the fall and winter he gave up three rides at the Touring Pro Division level. He likes to go to the left, and he hasn’t really faced anyone as good as he’s facing here. Palermo should come out of this with a second score.

Wallace Oliveira on 6 Drop Zone:

This is another bull without much of a past. He’s about as unknown as any bull here. Oliveira is the story here. He hasn’t bucked off of any bulls this season. This is a guy who works incredibly hard at the Touring Pro Division level. He crawled on 114 bulls last season to get here, and he’s making the most of his opportunity.

Kaique Pacheco on 961 Southern Wine:

After having two good draws last night, Pacheco has a not-so-good one here. He had this bull last year here in New York and bucked off. Southern Wine has been around for a while now, and he’s only been ridden nine times in 94 career outs. He’s a big bull who likes to work riders off over the front end. He’s as hard to ride as many short round bulls, but there is nothing fun about him at all.

Joao Ricardo Vieira on 018 Ranga:

Vieira has another bull that will go to the right — away from his hand — and that has been a problem for him. Ranga isn’t a particularly difficult bull, but Vieira has struggled with bulls that spin to the right. He’s going to have to correct that sooner or later, and now would be a good time. He’s already on the board with one score, and he needs a second one.